There's A Light
by simplepleaseures
Summary: Helena is Hollywood's newest It-Girl. But after one audition for Seth MacFarlane, Helena's path to stardom changes course. Not as steamy, but it might get there. Hopefully, this will be an attempt to appease readers looking for lighter, fluffier fare.
1. Chapter 1

Her stiletto heels click-clacked on the street as she stomped her way Barney's. She picked up her pace to avoid the paparazzi. All Helena wanted to do was indulge in some retail therapy, but the days of shopping without a camera crew following her were gone.

After years of the stereotypical aspiring actress lifestyle, waitressing and student plays included, Helena finally landed that career-making role. At the time, it was just a small indie film by a fledging director, but it started a bidding war at Sundance and at the end, the film's distribution rights were sold for the highest amount ever at the festival. Overnight, Helena was the new it girl, but she hated that term. Any bimbo could be the new it girl, Helena wanted to be the next Meryl, the next Kate, the next Angelina. Using her newfound status, Helena got herself a small role in the next Woody Allen movie. It wasn't much, but damnit, it was Woody Allen!

It was a classic Woody role: young ingénue inspires a failing screenwriter and hijinks ensue. It helped that this was one of Woody's best scripts in years. Now, on the cusp of award season, Helena was generating buzz with both of her breakout roles. Of course, with buzz, comes the attention. Gone were the days of running out to grab a coffee or spending an insane amount of money on shoes in peace. Picking up her pace, Helena dashed through the front door of Barney's.

Taking a moment to gather herself, Helena casually walked over to the shoe department. Today, she was on a mission to find some new audition shoes. Tomorrow she would be meeting with Seth MacFarlane. She wasn't too familiar with his work, but she knew he had a couple successful cartoons and "Ted" was a huge summer hit at the box office. As she grazed her hand across the newest Jimmy Choos, she questioned if the audition was really worth going to. She wasn't a fan of Mr. MacFarlane's brand of comedy, which tended to be raunchy and ribald.

The role, however, was for the female lead in his next movie. The script seemed solid; it was the story of man who moves back in with his parents after losing his job on Wall Street. He meets some hometown girl, gets in touch with his inner child, crazy guy stuff happens, blah, blah, blah. The script was one of the funniest Helena had read in years, but comedy was scary for a dramatic actress. Was it the right move, right now? What if the script really wasn't that funny? What if the role really turns into one of those stereotypical, derogatory female characters? Selecting a pair of peeptoe Louboutin pumps and handing them to the salesgirl, Helena pushed those thoughts aside. Today was a day for retail therapy, followed by drinks with Jill, her long time friend and confidante. Helena knew she could nail the audition, but was that actually a good thing?


	2. Chapter 2

Helena settled into the booth at Utopia, the newest and hottest club on Sunset Avenue. She adjusted her long, wavy brown hair and adjusted her dress to ensure no panty flashes would occur tonight. Seconds later, Jill slid in next to her. Jill was a total Blake Lively look-alike, with her beach blonde looks and long, slender body. Jill had quite the career herself, she turned was to only be a one episode stint on "Modern Family" into a series regular role playing Mitch and Cam's crazy nanny. They ordered their drinks and Jill sighed. "So, are you really going to that audition tomorrow?"

"I guess so. Maxwell thinks it would be a really good idea, especially since this Seth guy is apparently the hottest name in movies right now." Maxwell was Helena's agent and had yet to steer her wrong. He respected her wish to be a serious actress and didn't sell her out. Their relationship was one Helena really valued, but she still wasn't sure about this whole MacFarlane movie.

"It's true, " replied Jill. "I mean, Family Guy really isn't that funny anymore, but Ted was pretty funny. Plus, that man is gorgeous. I saw him in person at the Emmys. All that money bought him a stylist and a trainer and it worked. Too bad he likes the whores, though."

The waitress came with their drinks and Helena took a sip of her gin and tonic. She had heard about Seth's reputation for liking the young party girls. Oh well, he had enough money to pay them off, right?

"Whatever. I'll go. The script is actually solid, but it does need some work. Plus, I haven't heard back about that new Scorsese movie." Helena had gone through a grueling audition process for the new Martin Scorsese movie. It was to be about brothel in Chicago where the madam running the house became a huge player in local politics right before the Great Chicago Fire. Helena had read for the part of the madam, but there was another great role as one of the prostitutes who falls in love with the male lead. It would be another item off her bucket list if she did get to work with the genius Mr. Scorsese, but after five call backs and a personal reading with Marty, she still hadn't heard anything back.

"I'd hold out for Marty. Plus, he just cast Jeremy Renner in the lead! Christ, what I would do to that man. Did you see his ass in MI:4?" Jill made the obligatory lip smack and "oh yeah" sounds. Helena laughed and the two drank. It would be an early night, as Jill had a 6AM call time in the morning. Once they finished their drinks, the girls made for the exit, after a couple of pictures with fellow club patrons. Once outside, Jill embraced Helena before getting in her car. "Call me and let me know how it went! Smack MacFarlane's ass for me and let me know if it really is that tight!" Helena laughed as she waved her off. The valet brought her car next and she slid in the driver's seat. Time for beauty rest, as tomorrow was audition day.


	3. Chapter 3

"Helena Morganston? Seth is ready to see you."

Helena picked up her Hermes Birkin and her script, which was covered in notes and beaten up by several read-throughs. She followed the casting director into a non-descript office in which she saw him. He was gorgeous in person, just like Jill said. His hair was messy, but not intentionally, like most douchebags in L.A. He wore a simple button down shirt, wrinkled jeans and laceless Converse. When he spotted Helena, he sat up immediately and extended his hand.

"Helena! It's fantastic to meet you. I'm Seth MacFarlane."

She shook his hand and the two sat down. Seth launched into the conversation right away.

"I loved you in "Moonlight Sonata". I'm a huge Woody Allen fan and I think that was his best work in years. You were really fantastic."

"Thank you, " Helena blushed. It was always nice to receive genuine praise. "Woody is such an icon. I still can't believe I got to work with him. I still think he just kept forgetting to fire me."

The two laughed. Seth immediately started talking about the project. His deft knowledge of the material and his smooth voice put Helena at ease, but she still had her concerns.

"I really think the role of Rachel could be something great, but at times in the script, she kinda comes off as that typically clingy girlfriend. Is there anyway we can work to make her less clingy and into someone who can stand on her own two feet?" Helena asked. "I really want her to be a strong woman, not just some sad-eyed girl who follows guys around."

Seth looked at her for a moment. "See, Helena, the purpose of Rachel's character is that she is the stereotypical clingy girlfriend. She doesn't know how to function without a man by her side. If we changed that about the character, we'd lose a lot of really funny stuff. "

Helena was slightly taken aback. She failed to see what was so funny about girls with poor self-confidence. "Look, I think this script has potential and so does Rachel, but I really don't think it is funny to make fun of the girl with low self confidence. It gets old quickly."

Seth started to chuckle. Helena became slightly angry. What was so funny?

"I'm sorry. I fail to see what is funny right now." Helena snapped.

"No, no… it's just that Meg Griffin has been a source of pratfalls for years. She's the type of girl that has made my career," remarked Seth, still chuckling.

Helena was now confused. There was no Meg Griffin in the script. What they hell was he talking about?

"I'm sorry," Helena replied, "but who is Meg Griffin?"

Now Seth was the confused one. "Really? Have you never heard of "Family Guy"?"

"Nope. I don't watch much T.V."

"Please, everyone knows "Family Guy", " remarked Seth, with an increasing amount of arrogance. "You've never heard of Stewie Griffin?"

Helena shook her head and was becoming increasingly frustrated. The last thing she needed was another arrogant douchebag, insisting on spouting off his resume at any given chance.

"Oh really? You've never heard of Stewie Griffin? We must change that!" Seth replied in the infamous British accent associated with Stewie. When Helena still didn't recognize the voice, Seth became more upset by Helena's lack of recognition.

"How could you have not of heard of the show I created? Did you did any research before you came in here?" Seth retorted.

Helena was done. Fuck this guy, she thought. Helena did not need to take crap from directors with serious ego problems. She grabbed her bag and script. Determined to make her point known, she threw the script at MacFarlane's head. "Seriously, fuck you and your fucking ego, you asshole!" she screamed.

She immediately turned and stormed out the door. Seth sat on the couch, still in shock and kind of in pain, as that script hit him right in the head. Helena walked right past the receptionist and straight to the elevator. She had dealt with her fair share of asshole casting directors and agents, but the nerve on this guy! As soon as the elevator hit the bottom floor, she stormed out of the lobby and straight to her car. Time to go home and indulge in her favorite failed audition pastime: "Mad Men", wine, and cheesecake.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi Everyone! Sorry for the delay in getting a new chapter up. I suddenly found myself up for a promotion at work and all my free time became dedicated to that. But, I got the promotion and now I'm back. I hope to keep the chapters coming!**

Chapter 4

"Douchebag. Asshole. Fuck you and fuck your stupid cartoon." Helena muttered to herself while putting on the last disc of Season 1 of "Mad Men". In this moment, she understood what it was like to be Betty Draper and have to deal with a lying, cheating, jackass of a man.

It had been 24 hours after the debacle at Seth MacFarlane's office. Helena put her phone on silent and had spent the last day eating, sleeping, and plotting revenge on the biggest Hollywood douchebag she had ever met. Sometimes a girl just needed a day to remove herself from the world. While the DVD player warmed up, Helena decided a shower was in order and then she should probably check her phone, before Maxwell sent the police over for a welfare check.

As she stepped into her shower, Helena weighed her options. She had a mountain of scripts to read through and plenty of options. What Helena really wanted was a vacation; a week away in some warm, sunny beach with an endless supply of sun, alcohol, and men would cure all her ills. Despite trying, Helena still couldn't get her mind past MacFarlane. She had never treated a director like that or any person for that matter. What was it about him that sent her past the edge?

Turning off the water, Helena toweled off and put on a robe. She picked up her phone and saw she had 105 missed texts and 27 missed calls. Most of them were from Maxwell, so she called him first. In typical agent fashion, Maxwell picked up the phone in a collected state, but that soon dissolved to panic.

"Helena! Where the hell have you been? What the hell happened?"

Helena sighed. She went into all the details.

Maxwell listened empathetically before interrupting, "We've got a real problem here. Someone from TMZ saw you storm out of Seth's office and now are totally speculating about why. The most popular rumor is that you two have been secretly dating and you walked in on him banging some fan girl in his office."

Helena laughed. It was the first time she felt anything but disgusted and anger in 24 hours. "Max, that is the dumbest thing ever. I would never touch him. Lord knows what I would catch."

"Hey, knock off that talk. I don't need you fueling any rumors. I'll handle the blogs. So, did you read the new scripts I sent over?" Shop talk took over the conversation for a few minutes before Maxwell had to leave for a meeting. After hanging up, Helena went through the rest of her texts, most of which were from Jill, who had heard the rumors and was dying to know what was going on. Helena sent her a quick text promising to meet her for dinner that night. After clearing out the rest of the texts, it was the last text on her phone that caught her eye.

"Helena. Please call me. I feel I have some explaining and apologizing to do."

She didn't recognize the number, but she had a wicked feeling who it was. _Seriously, the nerve on this guy_, she thought. Helena decided not to respond back yet. Instead, she grabbed her MacBook and started looking up possible vacation spots for her getaway.

A few hours later, Helena had booked a flight and hotel room in Hawaii for a week-long trip leaving in three days. She didn't have any engagements for the next two weeks and now was the perfect time to go. She just needed to get out of this town and get out of herself for a while. Remembering her previous dinner date with Jill, she threw her hair into a casual but chic ponytail. Glancing at her massive closet, she selected an Alexander Wu sundress and a pair of strappy Chanel wedges. Looking the part of the effortlessly chic young actress, she grabbed her car keys and made her way to the restaurant.

"Are you fucking kidding me? That asshole. I would have kicked him in the balls." Jill blurted out. The two had just finished their appetizers at Red Room, the new restaurant just opened by some winner of _Top Chef_. Helena laughed at her friend's response. She had spent the last hour re-telling the tale of a certain pompous asshole named Seth MacFarlane. Jill was doing a fabulous job cheering her up.

"So, what are you going to do? " Jill asked.

"Well, I booked me a vacation to Hawaii. I leave in three days."

"What? When did you do that? Are you going by yourself?"

"Yep, I booked it just this afternoon." Helena answered gleefully.

"Wait? By yourself?" Jill asked, flabbergasted.

"Yeah, I've done it before. It's nice to get away and spend some time by yourself. A little yoga, read some books, make out with a random stranger on the beach. It'll be great. Don't worry; I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself."

"Okay, I trust you. But be safe, OK?"

"Trust me, it's a five star resort that has several celebrities as guests. Top-notch security. I'll be fine. I just need to get away from this whole MacDouchebag thing. This will really help."

Jill smiled empathetically. Their entrees arrived and the two dug in.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Dammit, where is that hat?" Helena muttered to herself. The car was waiting downstairs to take her to the airport and her suitcase was almost packed. She discovered her Nook buried underneath a pile of scripts, but she couldn't find her favorite Michael Kors floppy hat and she was not leaving without that hat. After destroying several rooms of her condo, Helena found the hat on her microwave. Not having any time to ponder how that could have happened, she threw the hat in her suitcase, zipped it up and handed it to the driver waiting in her atrium.

She hadn't bothered to contact MacFarlane after she discovered the text. She didn't owe him anything. If he really wanted to apologize, he would find a way. At this point, Helena was over it. Time to move on and move up. No more time would be spent thinking about Cartoon Boy. As they drove to the airport, Helena read through her e-mails one last time, as she planned to turn her phone off the minute she got on the plane and not turn it back on until she was back in L.A. exactly one week from today. There would be no reading of scripts, no auditions, no phone calls, no dinners with producers, no press calls. This was going to be a week of relaxation and her only company would be booze and sex.

The driver pulled up to a private airfield just outside L.A. When the executives at Universal found out about her trip, they offered their private jet to take her away, of course if she agreed to a dinner with a producer about a potential role. Helena decided it was a small price to pay for the luxury of private air travel. As the driver handed her bags off to the attendant, Helena grabbed her bag and made her way up the staircase into the jet. Nothing could prepare her for what she saw next.

"Uh…hi! Helena! I've been wanting to talk to you…"

There he was, in all his arrogant asshole glory. Seth motherfucking MacFarlane. On her private jet that was suppose to take her on her vacation to let her forget about him. Great.

Stunned, Helena stood in front of MacFarlane, who was already buckled into his seat. Every instinct in her body told her to leave, run; but something kept her feet planted where they were. She threw down her bag and hat before speaking.

"Is this some attempt at an apology?" she snorted at him.

"Look, Helena…"

"Save it, MacFarlane. I knew this flight at strings attached, but not this."

"Please, Helena. You wouldn't return my calls, texts and e-mails. Your agent didn't seem very responsive either. Please, hear me out. I had no business speaking to you the way I did. It was disrespectful. I know better. I honestly don't know what came over me, but that is no excuse. Please, accept this ride as some attempt at an apology. I know I have much more to do to make up for my behavior. Please, sit down. Have a drink. Once we land, you never have to speak to or see me again. It's your choice. Just please know I am sincerely sorry. "

Helena didn't know how to respond. He appeared sincere; there was no hint of sarcasm in his voice. He could have blown her off, but he didn't. Reluctantly, she sat down and buckled her seatbelt. Seth smiled, relieved. Soon, a flight attendant offered her a drink and prepared them for take-off.

"I will sit here quietly, reading and listening to music. You don't have to talk to me and I won't force you. Please, make yourself comfortable. Forget I am here." Seth smiled and settled in. Helena nodded, still shocked. She had no idea what was happening. Instead of figuring it out, she popped in her earbuds and settled into her Nook.

She figure this all out later.


End file.
